The novel coronavirus has changed the way we practice in many ways, and likely in more ways yet to come. However, the CDC and various medical societies are advocating to remove barriers to getting your patients fully immunized.
With return to school and work arrangements still uncertain, there are things we can do today to prepare your practice for what we all hope to be a busy back-to-school season and back-to-work migration, helping to prevent outbreaks of other vaccine-preventable diseases.
1.
Recall patients who are due, or overdue, for vaccines.
- Pull reports from your EMR to identify patients needing vaccines.
- Provide personal outreach to those patients using your patient portal, phone calls, post cards and/or text messages. There are other resources, like WellConnect from Sanofi Pasteur, that can assist you in your recall efforts. For a full list of recall services, click here.
- Consider dedicating a portion of the schedule, a section of the office, or alternative options like outdoor or in-car immunizations to those who might be hesitant to come into the office.
2.
Order enough vaccine inventory to cover back-to-school physicals.
CPP has access to your historical purchasing data for vaccines ordered through our program. If you need help determining what you might need this summer and fall, contact us and we can help you plan.
We have also summarized the most
current vaccine payment terms offered by the vaccine manufacturers into an easy-to-follow grid. This will help your practice manage cash flow and allow you the ability to stock vaccines while your patient volumes are ramping up.
3.
Verify vaccine payment rates from your major payers are adequate.
CPP has created a Payer Mix template that we can help you populate and then analyze your data to determine where there might be opportunities to address inadequate payment for your vaccines. Financial sustainability of your vaccination services is paramount to long-term success.
4.
Maximizing savings when purchasing vaccines.
We can help you find ways to save money:
- Are you signed up for discounts on the full Sanofi Pasteur & Merck vaccine portfolios?
- Have you opted into the Pfizer discount on Trumenba, a meningococcal B vaccine?
- Have you opted into the Dynavax discount on Heplisav-B, a 2-dose adult hepatitis B vaccine?
- Are you purchasing all of your vaccines through VaccineShoppe.com (VaxServe) to take advantage of an additional 1% online ordering discount?
5.
Develop a plan now for future flu vaccine clinics in the midst of COVID-19 precautions.
- If you have changed your hours of operation, be sure to review and update delivery hours, addresses, contact information and communication preferences in VaccineShoppe.com as soon as possible to help to ensure each influenza vaccine shipment arrives safely to your location. If you do not have access to VaccineShoppe.com, please contact your local Sanofi Pasteur sales representative and/or call 1-800-VACCINE (1-800-822-2463) for assistance.
- Consider out-of-the-box options like walk-thru or outdoor flu vaccination clinics, in-car immunizations or other ideas to capture more patients. Sanofi Pasteur has created a flu clinic toolkit to help practices plan, including how to communicate with patients, signage for use during the clinic, and much more!
- Keep in mind that if you need to purchase additional vaccine storage equipment (i.e. thermometers, transportation coolers, etc.) the CPP Vaccine Storage Grant Program can help offset the cost of this worthy investment!
The Ohio Chapter of the AAP will be hosting a
webinar covering these and many more topics as you prepare for a busy time in your office!
